15 Mister Rogers quotes for when you need a friendly neighbor

Won't You Be My Neighbor?, the recently released Mister Rogers biopic, has everyone weeping with a nostalgic, foreign emotion: joy.

Between the #MeToo movement and a president who plucks babies away from their parents, it's hard to think of men in contemporary public life who inspire admiration. Twenty years ago, Mister Rogers commanded so much more than that. He helped children and the adults watching his show navigate the traumas of human life and experience gratitude for life's everyday blessings.

We don't have Mister Rogers with us today, but we do have his quotes and clips to guide us through tough times.

Be forewarned: The following quotes may trigger feelings of deep hope and love for humanity.

1. On our role as human beings

"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has – or ever will have – something inside that is unique to all time."

4. On what matters

"It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff. That's what makes growing humanity the most potentially glorious enterprise on earth."

6. On real heroes

"When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me."

8. On history

"The really important 'great' things are never center stage of life's dramas; they're always 'in the wings.' That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial."

10. On having children

"Please think of the children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, their food, their toys, their custody, their childcare, their health care, their education – listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first."

11. On invisible gifts

"When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed."

13. On acceptance

“Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like 'struggle.' To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now – and to go on caring even through times that may bring us pain."

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